Andy Carroll provided Brendan Rodgers with a reminder of his talent as Liverpool ended their pre-season programme with the most comfortable of victories.

The England striker, whose future has been the subject of huge speculation this summer, came on as a second half substitute and made a significant contribution with a 20-yard left-footed drive in the 66th minute that put Liverpool 3-0 up in front of the Kop.

Though Sidney Sam pulled one back for Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool were never in any danger from the moment the impressive Raheem Sterling opened the scoring with an exquisite curling shot early in the first half and Lucas Leiva doubled the tally when tapping into an empty net shortly after.

Still don't want me? Andy Carroll fired home the third goal

Home again: Sami Hyypia returned to Anfield as Bayer Leverkusen manager

With Newcastle and West Ham United
still pursing Carroll, many will wonder whether this will prove to be
his final goal at Anfield but Rodgers, who has insisted he would be more
than happy for the 23-year-old to fight for his future, was delighted
to see him score.

‘It was a terrific goal from Big
Andy,’ said Rodgers, whose side will open the new Barclays Premier
League campaign with a trip to West Brom next Saturday. ‘It was a clever
move and a lovely piece of play from Charlie Adam, who would have been
expecting a pass back, to set Andy in.

‘The big guy has had stick that he
cannot play this way but he let it go through his legs well and he
tucked it away nicely. I thought the players were excellent and showed
great determination. We will arrive next week with a clean bill of
health.’

Back in business: Lucas Leiva celebrates his strike

Young gun: Raheem Sterling opened the scoring

New signing Joe Allen could not make
his Anfield bow after Swansea refused to give him dispensation to play.
The Wales midfielder joined Liverpool after Friday’s 5pm deadline but he
could have featured against the Germans had Swansea given him the green
light.

As a result, Allen’s only action
before the big kick-off will come in Llanelli in midweek, when Wales
tackle Bosnia in a friendly. There had been questions over whether Allen
would feature in that game but Rodgers is happy for him to travel.

‘We wanted Joe to play here but he
could not,’ said Rodgers. ‘So 45-60 minutes in midweek will not hurt
him. I have spoken to all the managers, like Roy (Hodgson) and Morten
Olsen. To be fair, they all know where we are at (with our players) this
moment in time.’

Up and over: Carroll heads over the bar

The game saw Sami Hyypia return to
Anfield for the first time in a competitive guise since he brought his
distinguished 10-year career to an end in 2009 and while Leverkusen’s
manager was thrilled with the reception he received, he was less
thrilled with his side’s performance.

‘I came here to win the game so from
defeat you cannot take that much self-confidence from the game,’ said
Hyypia, who won 10 major honours during his time on Merseyside. ‘But
Liverpool played very well. They have a new system which is difficult to
play against.

‘Time will tell but I hope they can
challenge for the top four. As long the style is working, every style is
okay. At the end of the day, winning is all that matters. I am just
grateful I had the chance to come back here.’